


Screwdriver

by Charmkeeper



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gladnis, I fully believe there are normal working hours for the Citadel, Insomnia, M/M, Oneshot, Only by a little but still, Protective Gladio, Underage Drinking, brotherhood era, i think
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-17
Updated: 2018-06-17
Packaged: 2019-05-16 20:02:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14817953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charmkeeper/pseuds/Charmkeeper
Summary: Gladio and Ignis don't interact often. It's not a vicious thing, it's just what is, at least until Gladio discovers Ignis working far too late one night, and all bets are off. So what if along the way Gladio starts to see exactly what he was missing in being close to Ignis? Better late than never, right?





	Screwdriver

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BossGoose](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BossGoose/gifts).



> So instead of my normal Sunday update you're getting this little oneshot I wrote for my future wife's birthday.
> 
> The idea for this one started out as...I've read a lot of (very cute, and I love them) fics about Gladio and Ignis being friends as children. As much as I love that idea, the game itself implies that Gladio and Ignis didn't grow up friends, and only became friends later on. I sort of began to wonder how they became closer, and this popped into my head. 
> 
> ...And since I'm terrible, of course it devolved into Gladnis. Fluffy this time, promise. 
> 
> As a side note, you can rip protective, romantic Gladio from my cold dead hands.
> 
> Warning: This is probably not at all accurate to actual insomniacs, and I'm sorry...but I wrote it anyway.

Despite the whispers of people around the Citadel, Gladio did not hate the person known as Ignis Scientia. People could talk all they liked, but the fact was that there wasn't enough between them for Gladio to hate. Knowing a person's name and face did not mean that when they passed each other in the hallway they weren't virtually strangers.

It was true that they were connected through Prince Noctis, but they were on opposite sides of the spectrum. Ignis, a scion of House Scientia, had been raised since the age of six to stand behind the prince, to whisper bits of information in his ear at parties and make sure he was where he needed to be when he needed to be there. Seen, but not heard. Virtually a shadow. Gladio, on the other hand, had only been formally allowed to join the Crownsguard last year, though he'd known his place for nearly as long as Ignis had probably known his. He was an Amicitia. He would be Noctis' Shield.

A shadow and a shield did not normally interact. They were both vital in a king's service to his people, but they didn't need to touch to competently do their jobs. It was a sentiment that Ignis seemed to silently share with him. Some within the Citadel tried to cozy up to Gladio, like they were old friends just because of their positions, but not Ignis. They normally only went so far as polite nods of their heads and, occasionally, discussing what Noctis was or, more importantly, was not doing. It was all impersonal, and that was good enough for Gladio. Being tied to Noctis didn't make them obligated to be friends, as those quiet whispers suggested. As separate as their duties were, the reality was that they were barely coworkers.

He couldn't make people stop gossiping though, sometimes Gladio thought gossip was the lifeblood of Citadel life. He himself enjoyed hearing it, but he never spread it like a virus. Sometimes, oftentimes even, there was a kernel of truth at the center of those stories. It often did him good to remember what he heard when people were being slack-jawed, even if the hottest subject right now was his "loathing" of Ignis Scientia.

"Why don't people talk more about how Ignis hates me?"

A snort was the initial reply he got, followed quickly by, "Because Scientia hates _everyone_."

Inexplicable pain rose in Gladio's chest. It wasn't the first time he'd felt pain on someone else's behalf, but just then, the pain he felt for Ignis was nearly overwhelming. "He does not. He and Prince Noctis are good friends." For how little Gladio actually knew about Ignis, he knew this to be true. Noctis was going through what one would probably call his difficult years, but the bond he and Ignis had was strong, and, like his own with the prince, went well beyond that of a retainer and charge. Though they didn't much talk, when he visited Noctis at his apartment Ignis was often there when he didn't have to be.

"Sure," the word was spat out sarcastically. "The prince works him to the bone day in and day out, and they're 'good friends'. If I were Scientia, I'd be a pretty bitter bitch."

It wasn't true, Gladio told himself. Ignis and Noctis _were_ good friends, and Ignis only did his job. Sure, he did it well, and he knew there were those within the Citadel who harbored envy over it, but it was still just his job, just like Gladio's work within the Crownsguard might seem excessive at times, but was still his job. People who weren't truly raised to it just didn't understand until they were thrown headfirst into it.

Gladio still filed the conversation deep in his brain, but he didn't think of it again until one a.m. on a night when he'd had second watch. He was dead tired, and ready to go home, as were the fellow guards getting off watch, but something stopped him in his tracks. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Gladio mumbled, more as though to convince himself than to actually convince the others. "I think I forgot something up in my father's office. Go on ahead, I'll see you guys later." It was a lie, he'd left nothing in his father's office, he hadn't been in his father's office all day, all week even, but just barely from behind the blackout curtains on the same floor as his father's office was a thin beam of light. Someone was up there, at one in the morning, hours after even the latest working government officials went home. A break-in? Was someone trying to take advantage of the late hour and steal from their Crown? Leaving his fellow guards to walk home, Gladio ran up five flights of stairs to find out.

What he found wasn't a break in.

What he _did_ find was Ignis Scientia in his office, a can of Ebony in one hand and a sheaf of papers in the other. When he looked up, Gladio couldn't help but notice the dark circles under his eyes, and vaguely he thought that he'd never seen anyone look quite  _so_ tired. "Gladiolus." As always, his pristine accent gave away the years of rigorous education Ignis had gone through, but Gladio didn't miss the note of apprehension hidden within his name. "Is there something I can do for you?" Yeah. He was keeping his tone light, but there was definitely a tightness there, a desire to hurry him away. Something was wrong.

"Yeah, you can tell me what you're doing here at one in the morning. This place is supposed to be black by now." Of course there were always the little lights that kept things dimly illuminated, and there were guards standing watch over the work floors, but Ignis was supposed to be home by this time. Preferably sleeping.

"I'm just finishing up some of the report summaries for His Highness." Ignis lightly indicated the sheaf of papers he'd been holding. "I assure you there's nothing to worry about." Ignis got up from his seat and approached the window, "Ah, I didn't quite close the curtains. My apologies." Ignis was talking as though he'd made some sort of mistake, letting that little sliver of light reach the sidewalk below. He was talking as though this were over, but Gladio was still back on the fact that he was working on report summaries. _Now_.

All at once, a conversation from weeks beforehand popped back into his brain, and the sudden idea that words spoken in that bitterness might actually be true took over his entire being, and a rage he was barely able to hold back filled him from toes to head.

"Is this about Noctis?"

"Is what about _Prince_ Noctis?" The word prince was just slightly emphasized, and it only served to fuel that fire inside him.

"This. Your being here in the dead of night working on reports, drinking from a can of pure caffeine. Is he working you that hard? That this is the only time you can find to do this? Because this is not okay, and if it is--"

"It's not." The two words were like a balm against his rage, calming him enough that he was able to really see the look on Ignis' face. Still exhausted, yes, but there was something dazed there too. That look was for him. Ignis was staring at him like he was some sort of garula standing in his office. "This has nothing to do with His Highness. I'm here of my own accord, under no orders or stress from anyone beyond myself. I'm merely getting a head start on tomorrow's work."

"Why then?"

"Organization is a key tool in--"

"Dammit, Ignis! This is not about organization!" Someone like Ignis didn't need _more_ organization. The man probably had his sock drawer organized within an inch of its life! "Just tell me the truth!"

Most people were afraid of Gladio by this point. He knew he was a big muscled man, and, in truth, most of the time he acted like was a giant dog in that he knew how big he was, and he was purposely gentle and laid back. Still, he _did_ have a temper, and when he showed it, people tended to back down very quickly, their eyes studying the floor, walls, nails- anywhere but his face. Not Ignis. Ignis stared him not just in the face, but right in the eyes. Ignis was not afraid of him. At that moment, Gladio wasn't sure Ignis was afraid of _anything_.

"Why should I?" Three words, softly spoken, but brutally sharp. Gladio respected that, no, Gladio found that he respected Ignis on a whole new level.

"Because I want to help you." They didn't know each other well, but Gladio did want to help. It was a part of him that he never denied. His entire life was dedicated to Noctis, that was true, but he didn't like to be a shield to just him, just to him first. Helping other people up when they were down was something he enjoyed doing. Noctis was his focus, of course, but he was a large man. A large man should shield more than one, especially, he thought, one that Noctis loved so much. He'd never thought about it like that before. Ignis was Noctis' shadow, and in a way that meant that the reality was that Ignis was an extension of Noctis. How had he not thought of that before?

"You cannot," Ignis refuted, and Gladio bit back the urge to snap back before Ignis went on to say. "It's not that I don't appreciate your altruism. It's honestly refreshing, but it truly isn't something you could help me with."

Gladio narrowed his eyes. Ignis had said he wasn't here under someone else's orders, but, "Are you being blackmailed?"

"Goodness no, Gladiolus." He gave a very tired sounding sigh and sunk back into his office chair. "You could help me with _that_ , or I daresay I would have taken care of it myself."

"Then what?" It was Gladio's turn to hold up a hand for silence and let him finish. "Just tell me, if it really is something I can't help with, I'll leave, simple as that, but if there's something I can do, let me do it."

"You are not obligated to me."

"I kinda am." He was starting to figure that out. Not by direct duty, no, but by connection. Noctis came first, and Ignis affected Noctis. It was stupid, how he'd been blind to that before now. Or perhaps it was that he'd never imagined _Ignis Scientia_ needing help with _anything_. "We can't have Noctis figuring out you're up this late and thinking he can do it too." There. There was a smile, wan, and a bit strained, but a smile. Gladio struggled to remember the last time he'd seen Ignis smile at all, if he ever had. He couldn't come up with anything, and that too was bad.

"I believe you may actually have a point."

Score, Gladio thought, and he stepped around one of the chairs in front of Ignis' desk and sat himself down in it. Doing so earned him a look, but he paid it no mind. Baby steps. "So?"

Ignis sighed, his hands lacing together and his chin coming to rest atop them. "It's insomnia," he said at last, pausing for a nanosecond before thinking to add, "the condition, not the city."

Oh.

_Oh._

That definitely explained it. It wasn't that Ignis didn't _want_ to be at home sleeping right now, it was that he literally couldn't. "How long?"

Ignis didn't even think about the answer, it was out of his mouth instantly. "It's been on and off for several years."

Years, even off and on, was a long time. "Okay," Gladio's mind was already working on possible solutions. He'd never experienced insomnia for himself, but he knew that while there wasn't a cure per say, there were ways to treat it. "What have you done to try and solve the problem?"

He watched Ignis' eyes narrow suspiciously, "I thought you said that you'd leave once you knew that it was not something you could fix."

"I didn't say fix, I said help," Gladio gave him an easy smile, only one of them needed to be on edge, and now that he knew that this wasn't really anyone's fault, it was easy for him to get into a different frame of mind. "And I'm not convinced that I can't help yet. So, come on, what treatments have you tried?"

Gladio spent the next half hour listening to a list that had to be at least a mile long. It started with standard diet and exercise changes, general lifestyle alterations, and then went into over-the-counter, non-habit-forming drugs. From there it got worse, all the way up to what sounded like really heavy duty prescription pills. "They worked," Ignis admitted begrudgingly, "But I had to give them up. It did me no good to sleep at night, only to find nothing could get me up in the morning. I only started to function after a pack of Ebony in the morning."

"You sound like a smoker," Gladio teased. " 'I can't do my job before I smoke three cigarettes.' "

"A fairly apt description of what it was like, unfortunately. I do enjoy Ebony," he gestured lightly at the can on his desk to make his point, "But I couldn't continue needing it to simply get out of bed in the morning."

"So what are you doing about it now?"

"Nothing," Ignis said with a shrug so small that it was barely a shrug at all, "I've given up on fighting it, and it's a waste of time to lie in bed awake when I could be doing something productive." Gladio watched his eyes slide over to the digital clock readout at the corner of his desk. Gladio couldn't see it, but he knew it had to be almost two by now. "I really don't plan on staying much longer. When these reports are done, I'll head home and try to get some sleep. Will that satisfy you?"

"Nope," Gladio said standing to his feet. "You're coming with me, now. The reports can wait."

"And where, pray-tell, are you going to take me? To my apartment?"

"Nope," Gladio repeated, a grin breaking out on his face. "There is one thing you definitely haven't tried yet, and I'm gonna take you somewhere you can get it." He refused to take no for an answer, and in the end, Ignis pulled on his jacket, and they made their way out of the Citadel.

In winter, the walk to the Amicitia residence probably seemed longer than it actually was. Gladio hadn't realized how cold it was, after being in and out of it for his shift, but after talking with Ignis in his warm office the outdoors seemed almost frigid. Gladio didn't get very cold by nature, but by the time they reached the front door, even his fingers felt a little numb, and the heat that greeted them was welcome. Ignis, on the other hand, seemed neither warm nor cold as he closed the door behind him, and Gladio internally sighed. Did anything bother Ignis?

Only a few moments later, the answer turned out to be yes.

Gladio led Ignis out into the parlor, fingers switching on the light as he walked past it. "Go ahead, make yourself at home." He hadn't really been expecting much. He'd expected Ignis to sit down in one of the ornate but uncomfortable couches, perhaps he'd even thought that he'd take off the jacket. Initially, Ignis did neither of these things, instead, he stood there looking very much the anak in the headlights as he took in the room around him with one hand reaching across his chest to the other arm, tugging lightly at his jacket sleeve. In short, Ignis froze, and Gladio had thought that no one, not even Noct, had probably ever seen Ignis Scientia looking quite so _adorable_.

Adorable as it was though, it was also quite baffling. Ignis had received the best education that money and power could buy, he'd been trained on how to act in social and political situations since he'd been a small child, he dealt with diplomats and nobles on a near daily basis, and yet...yet here he was, in his parlor, outside of work, and he didn't know what to do.

Then it dawned on him. This wasn't a council meeting. This wasn't greeting foreign dignitaries. This wasn't even going through reports all alone at one in the morning. This was a social visit. Perhaps it was a poor excuse for one, but still, it made sense now; Ignis didn't know how to deal with his own peers in a casual setting. For a second the idea made Gladio gleeful, and then a connecting thought sobered him. Perhaps Ignis _did_ know how to deal with his peers...just not ones who were being _nice_.

It was certainly true that Gladio got along with people his own age, hell, Gladio basically got along with everyone. That fact alone was probably part of why the rumor that he and Ignis hated each other had gotten started. Yeah, Gladio was charismatic, and people instantly took a shine to him, but Ignis wasn't like that. Gladio knew a lot of people who disliked or looked down their noses at Ignis. Ignis was hard working, loyal, polite, and efficient. Ignis was not charming, and he didn't try. Everyone kind of knew that, Gladio had just never connected it to his social life until now. Gladio's heart sank. Well shit.

"Just...go take a seat, okay?"

Green eyes connected with his from behind his glasses, and Ignis nodded curtly, like he would a superior official. "All right." Way too formal. Yeah. Shit. Now he felt like an asshole for enjoying his discomfort even for a second.

He watched Ignis drift off to one of the couches, and watched him sit down, all prim and proper, his knees straight, hands resting against them. So not relaxed. Gladio was tempted to tell him to put his feet up on the coffee table, except, his father would murder him for even suggesting it in the parlor...that, and Ignis would never do it. Gladio decided in that instant, that while they'd never been friends before, only bonded lightly through Noctis, they sure as hell were gonna be friends now.

He left Ignis to idly fidget on his couch, and drifted over the cordial station, finding both things he needed, one in the mini fridge, and one on the display of overly fancy bottles. He could practically feel the advisor's eyes on him as he worked, but he kept his back to him, and kept precisely what he was doing between him and the table. In total it only actually took him a couple minutes to finish his little project which he then presented very proudly to his guest.

Said guest was unimpressed. "What is that supposed to be?"

"A screwdriver." The orange color of the drink ought to have given it away. There really weren't a lot of drinks that were just quite that orange.

"How odd," Ignis said lightly, his head tilting off to one side. "That doesn't look at all like a screwdriver. Is it supposed to be a Phillips or slot type? I can't tell from here."

That was a joke. That was actually an honest to Six joke coming out of Ignis' mouth, and Gladio didn't try to hide the grin that formed upon hearing it. "You're hilarious. Take it."

"I cannot, Gladiolus."

"Why not?"

Ignis sighed, as though the reason ought to be obvious. "I'm only seventeen."

There was some part of his brain that had known Ignis was a little younger than him. The difference was months, rather than years, and despite Ignis' logical unspoken point that he was still technically underage, Gladio was not deterred by it. "Just take it, Ignis."

"It is _illegal_ for me to drink that."

So stubborn, but then, he'd been raised to be. Gladio could be stubborn too. "For what? Two more months?" His birthday was in February, right? He was pretty sure Noctis had once shown off a birthday gift he'd gotten for him in February.

"Approximately, yes."

Gladio huffed. It was almost three in the morning, and he was too tired for this. "Take the damn drink, Ignis. I'm not asking you to get drunk with me. I'm asking you to drink this one watered down drink, and hope that it helps you sleep."

"Studies say that while drinking might help you fall asleep, it doesn't help keep you asleep, and it can actually be harmful."

The words were meant to burst his bubble, but they actually only gave Gladio reason to smile more. "But you _have_ looked into alcohol as a solution."

Gladio thought that he perhaps imagined it, but it seemed for a second that Ignis' cheeks got a little pinker. "I - yes. I was desperate enough at one point that I looked into it, but that changes nothing."

"Look." Gladio could see Ignis' position, he really could, but, "It sounds like you've tried literally everything else, no joke, everything. Except this. If you sleep, it'll help you do your job better, just because you'll feel better. You're not gonna get caught, and even if you do, two months away, just...geez. No one worth anyone's time is going to come down hard on a guy for drinking one drink before bed to help them sleep. The drugs were honestly probably more dangerous." His words were one hundred percent honest, and he thought that it got through Ignis' thick skull, it had to have, for after a minute of further silent consideration, he reached out and took the drink.

"You will tell no one." It was not a request. It was more a threat, but rather than being angered at the thought, it only reinforced the idea in Gladio's mind that Ignis didn't trust his peers, and he probably didn't have friends, excluding Noctis. That had changed tonight. Gladio was now going to be his friend if it killed him.

"My lips are sealed."

He didn't drink it quickly, and he physically recoiled from the first smell, but he did drink it, bit by bit until it was gone about five minutes later.

They didn't linger after that, it was already so late (or was it early by this point?) and Gladio took him straight back to his apartment, which was only some five blocks away from the Citadel's outer limits. He tried to ask Ignis why he lived there, rather than with the rest of his household, like Gladio (after all, the Scientia's were a lesser noble house, but still noble. They had an estate.) but Ignis was apparently done talking for the night, only pausing to say good night and thank you when they reached the front door to his building.

Gladio wouldn't say that it was a resounding success, but for having walked in on him unexpectedly at one in the morning, he'd say it had gone well.

The next day was Saturday, where there were no council meetings or a thousand appointments that Ignis needed to keep, but Gladio still knew where he could find Ignis.

He arrived at Noct's apartment about two seconds before the door swung open and Noctis and Prompto came tumbling through it. "Hey-hey, Gladio!" Prompto greeted him a little nervously, his fingers giving him an equally nervous wave. Prompto was a good kid, Gladio thought, he liked him, as a person, but he also often thought that Noctis should spend a little less time with Prompto and a little more time on his actual princely duties. He suspected that Prompto could smell that, like the dogs he so very much liked, and it made him worried that Gladio was going to give him the boot one day. Prompto didn't need to worry so much, his qualm wasn't with Prompto himself, it was between him and Noctis, and sometimes Ignis. It wasn't Prompto's fault that Noctis shirked his duties to play games with him, hell, he'd probably do it even if Prompto wasn't there.

"Hey," he greeted back, lifting his hand in hello and smiling down at him. The blond smiled back, still nervous, but less so as Noctis closed the door behind him. "You guys heading out?"

Noctis nodded. "Just to the corner store. Gotta get some proper snack foods for game night. We'll be gone a half hour tops. You staying?"

"I might."

"Cool, we'll get extra then." The two boys began to move past him, and indeed, Prompto got halfway down the hall before Noctis paused and backtracked. "Hey."

"Yeah?"

"I know you two don't talk a lot, but, keep an eye on Specs for me?"

Gladio frowned. "Something wrong?"

"Maybe nothing?" Noct reached up and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, his eyes staring down at Gladio's shoes. "Just. He was late this morning. I woke up before he got here. I was thrilled about it this morning, but like, what if he's sick? Like I said, it might be nothing, but, it's not like him."

Noct wasn't the most observant person in the world, and as such, his worry warmed Gladio's heart. "I'm sure he just needed a little extra sleep. We all do sometimes."

At that, Noctis' nose scrunched up, "Not Specs. He's a robot."

Gladio snorted. "A robot, huh?"

"Yeah. A robot who tells really bad jokes." Noctis rolled his eyes and then shook his head. "Just...please?"

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him."

"Thanks." Noct's shoulders sagged a little, as though a weight he'd been trying to hold up had been taken from them. "We'll be back soon." Gladio watched as the two friends disappeared down the stairs before he headed inside the apartment.

Predictably, he found Ignis in the kitchenette, starting the prep for some meal or another that probably had vegetables in it that Noct was not going to want to eat. He looked visibly less tired than the night before and Gladio allowed himself a smile at that. "So I hear you slept in this morning."

Ignis tutted, and Gladio bit back a laugh. "You could sound a little less smug about it."

"Could. Won't." He leaned against the counter, his hand brushing against a folder of papers that Gladio suspected were the reports Ignis had been working on the night before. "Seriously though, how're you feeling?"

Ignis paused in what he was doing, his arms coming up and crossing defensively over his chest. Gladio wanted to tell him that he didn't have to be defensive with him anymore. He could be as open and honest as he was with himself. "I feel...All right," he began. "Better than before."

"Any hangover?"

"None at all."

"And you were able to get up?"

"I had no major problems, once I actually woke up. I'll have to remember to properlyset my alarms again." Ah, so that was it, he hadn't slept in on purpose, but had forgotten to set his alarm. It was understandable, considering that he probably hadn't needed it for some time. Gladio let the conversation drop for a little bit, and after a few seconds Ignis turned back around to what he was making, which, as he watched, was turning out to be some sort of pasta dish, perhaps Altissian. He contented himself to watch him move around the kitchenette grabbing this or that, and though they weren't talking Gladio thought it was comfortable.

Ignis was sticking a casserole dish into the oven when Gladio finally opened his mouth again. "Hey, Ignis?"

"Yes, Gladiolus?"

He waffled for a moment, wondering if by asking he'd scare Ignis away, but if he didn't ask, there would be no going forward. "Do you wanna break the law again tonight?"

A slow smile grew on Ignis' face, and Gladio knew he hadn't overstepped his bounds. "Why, yes, I think I do."

* * *

 "Breaking the law" became a fairly normal thing for them after that. Gladio made a point of seeking Ignis out at the end of the day, which was easy enough, considering you could almost always find him either in his office or at Noct's apartment. Ignis himself never sought him out, but Gladio thought that was okay. He was pretty sure that Ignis didn't seek anyone out except for Noctis, or someone he was tracking down for work related reasons, and so it wasn't an insult that he never found Ignis approaching him in the locker rooms or the training yard. He also knew that Ignis probably didn't really trust him on a personal level yet, and if his theory about Ignis and "peers" was right, then the fact that he didn't outright fight him when he showed up in the evening was actually a compliment.

Gladio on the other hand had taken the idea that Ignis was now his friend to heart. They didn't spend a terribly great amount of time together, but Gladio gleaned what he could from it. It wasn't much, Gladio didn't think Ignis really allowed it to be much, but he soon figured out that Ignis was overly fond of terrible puns, the kind that made you laugh just because they were _that_ bad, and that Ebony was practically a religion to him, and not just a can to be drained for its caffeine, he learned that his care for the prince was sometimes soft and frustrating, but extremely heartfelt and genuine, but despite that he had doubts underneath it Noctis cared for him at all.

That last one wasn't spoken or freely given. Gladio learned it from nights when he dropped by with increasing frequency, and caught Ignis' face in moments in-between, when he thought no one was watching.

Did Ignis think that anyone truly loved or cared about him? Gladio wasn't sure he did. Gladio was sure it wasn't right.

At first, when they broke the law, as Ignis insisted on continue to call it, they would slip away to Gladio's house, and Ignis would sit on his couch just as awkwardly as he had that first night, and he'd have a drink, always the screwdriver, and then Gladio would take him home. It took about a week, but his father did eventually become aware of the dwindling vodka, and confronted him about it.

"I don't care," his father began, "If you have a drink every evening, but you're a beer drinker, not a vodka drinker." It had never taken much for Gladio to wither under his father's eye, and the sad truth was that it only took about five seconds before Gladio broke down under that stare and told him everything from finding Ignis in his office in the wee hours of the morning, to the fact that, yes, the nightly drink did seem to be helping.

He'd thought that his father would put a stop to it right then and there, because, after all, Ignis was right, until February, Ignis was underage. It was a surprise to him when his father sighed, pinched he bridge of his nose and said, "Take a Thermos."

"What?"

"Take a Thermos," his father repeated. "It's not right to drag him halfway across the district every evening just to give him him eight ounces of drink and then take him home. Take him a Thermos in the evening. No one will question a servant of the prince bringing another servant of the prince coffee in the evening."

Gladio had hugged his father then, something that had not happened in a while. His father had sighed, exasperated, but he had patted his back, and when Gladio pulled away, he was smiling with approval. "It's good," he told him, "That you're starting to figure out that you're not just beholden to Prince Noctis. You have to work together as a well oiled machine. A shield who only shields the heart is a poor shield."

Breaking the law became an easier thing after that. When Ignis was at Noct's, he'd just hand the Thermos over, and Gladio would internally both smile and frown at the soft, not quite hidden look of surprise on Ignis' face every time, but when Ignis was at the office, they'd sit and talk for little bit while Ignis drank. It was mostly small talk, talking about their day, or what project was currently going on, but, Gladio knew it was more than Ignis had given before. It felt a little odd, that Ignis appeared more comfortable here, in his office, a professional setting, than he ever had sitting on Gladio's couch, but then, he realized, professional was what Ignis was good at, and this was his home turf. Perhaps they were only work friends, but that still included the word friends, and if that was all Gladio could achieve, he decided he'd take it.

It was an unseasonably warm day in early January that it truly began to change.

Gladio had only been at the store for Cup Noodles. He'd only been introduced to them last winter, but they were now a staple of his diet, often being eaten when he was hungry, but it was too late, early, or he was just too lazy to do something properly, or, at three in the morning hen he woke up to pee, but found he was also starving. He loved them, but he knew they were junk, and he couldn't eat them too often. Even so, he went through a twelve pack a week, and he'd gotten up the night before to find Iris had eaten the last one without telling him. Rather than scolding her for eating when she was hungry, he'd just resolved to buy twice the amount of Cup Noodles. That was when he found Ignis.

He was looking at the wall of produce, seemingly lost in a decision between romaine and butter lettuce. It was really quite comical to see him staring at the lettuces, hand on his chin, so very seriously studying them, and Gladio bit back a snort. Comical, yet somehow very Ignis. "You doing shopping for Noct?" He asked as he came up beside him.

He was not prepared for the way Ignis very nearly jumped right out of his skin, or the way his hands fluttered to his chest, or even the way green eyes wide behind his glasses looked up at him the most adorable expression Gladio thought he'd ever seen on anyone, excluding Iris. "Gladiolus! You startled me."

"Just. Gladio." This had been a thing for a few days now. He didn't much think Ignis was doing it on purpose, but more that he wasn't used to his nickname yet. He did, after all, call Noctis 'Noct' when they weren't being too stuffy or doing official things. Nah, Ignis just needed some time to adjust, but that didn't mean Gladio wasn't going to correct him every time until it happened. "And sorry, didn't mean to."

"It's...all right." His hands were still pressed against his chest, and Ignis shook his head, as though doing so really cleared it. "And, to answer your question, no, not for Noctis today. I'm restocking my own refrigerator and pantry."

"You have your own fridge?"

Ignis looked back up at him, those perfectly groomed eyebrows knit together. "Yes?"

"You sure? Because I'm pretty sure you live on room temperature Ebony alone."

Too quickly for him to follow, one of Ignis' hands came up and whacked him on the chest. It didn't hurt, but the fact that he did it at all was enough of a blow for Gladio to feel like the air had been knocked out of him. "You're awful." Ignis huffed, again, adorably, "Of course I eat and drink other things."

"And yet I don't see a cart."

"I don't need one," Ignis lifted one arm, and Gladio saw for the first time that there were two reusable grocery bags hooked over his elbow. "I don't like having more than a couple days worth of produce at any one time." That made a lot of sense for Ignis, Gladio supposed. Having just two or three days worth of fresh produce at home allowed him to be prepared, or to have things in case he didn't feel like shopping every day, but also allowed him to have the freshest possible at all times.

Right about now would be the time that he could excuse himself without seeming rude or rushed, and yet instead he found himself saying, "You mind if shop with you?"

He was rewarded with a smile that he'd never seen on Ignis' face before. It wasn't sly or cunning but instead was young and bright, and Gladio found himself wanting Ignis to smile like that more often. "I don't need the help," he admitted, and Gladio's heart sank a little before he added, "But I shan't chase you away if you linger either."

Gladio lingered, happy to watch as Ignis eventually picked the butter lettuce, and added various other vegetables, as well as ground pork, and various spices that Gladio could not even think to name. Gladio himself didn't get anything, only shrugging his shoulders when Ignis asked what he was here to grab. It could wait. Spending a little extra time with Ignis was more important than grabbing two cases of Cup Noodles right now. He was pleased when Ignis narrowed his eyes at him, but didn't argue.

After Ignis had paid for his purchases they both headed toward the door, just in time to see the curtain of rain begin to fall from the sky. With his grocery bags tucked neatly over one shoulder Ignis sighed. "It's only just above freezing," he commented dryly, "It is not yet warm enough for rain like this."

"Apparently the sky disagrees."

"Obviously."

Gladio could practically see Ignis' brain working through solutions to this dilemma, and decided to put a stop to it before the young man turned back into the store to buy a cheap umbrella just for a one-off occurrence. "Here." He shrugged off his jacket, and arranged it so that it covered both of their heads. "Your apartment isn't far, this'll do."

"Gladio," there, hearing his nickname from Ignis' lips was very satisfying, even when it was said in that reproachful tone. "Your jacket is genuine leather. It'll get ruined in this downpour."

"You say that like this is my favorite jacket." He also said that like it wasn't weatherproofed, but that was beside the point.

"Gladio..."

"Nah. Like I said, your apartment's not far from here. We'll make it. The sooner you stop arguing the sooner you'll be home." Ignis pursed his lips, but he didn't argue it any further, and they began the walk to Ignis' apartment building.

The going was slow, but aside from their feet and ankles, the jacket did a fair job of keeping them dry. About halfway there, Gladio's arms began to burn a bit, but it was nothing compared to the feeling of walking this close to Ignis coupled with the extremely satisfying sensation that he was protecting Ignis, even from something as simple as rain. Ignis, he was starting to figure out, was his own champion in everything. He didn't look up to people, except for perhaps the king, and he prided himself in all the things he did, from dressing smartly, to cooking, to being Noct's advisor, yet even he needed help sometimes, like when there was unexpected rain, or he had insomnia. It was perhaps stupid and foolish, but Gladio wanted to always be the one helping Ignis do what he couldn't do alone.

It was actually disappointing to him when they arrived at Ignis' apartment building, and the smaller man pulled away, leaving a hollow, cold, space where he'd been standing moments before. With a heavy heart, he lowered his arms and shook out his jacket before allowing it to slide back up his arms and onto his shoulders.

"Thank you, Gladiolu--" Ignis coughed awkwardly, "Gladio." Was it just Gladio, or was Ignis' face a bit red? "I daresay I wouldn't have made it back here half as dry without your assistance."

"No problem," he answered honestly, giving Ignis a lopsided grin, "You can count on me."

"I think that's probably true."

Ignis said it so softly that Gladio almost didn't hear him, but he did, and it was his turn for his face to flush, and he mentally fumbled around for something else to say when he remembered the Thermos in his strap-on bag. "Here, you know, for tonight." He offered it, and Ignis rearranged the bags on his shoulder to take it from him. "Just...give it back tomorrow or something, okay?" He turned to head on back out into the rain when he heard Ignis' voice again.

"Gladio?"

"Yeah?"

"It's still raining, and," he paused, shifting his weight from foot to foot in yet another adorable mannerism. "Why don't you come up and have dinner with me? I'm making larb."

Gladio didn't know what larb was, but he knew that this was an important moment, right here, right now. "That sounds delicious." He would be an idiot to pass it up.

* * *

 It wasn't long before people started to notice that Ignis Scientia and Gladiolus Amicitia didn't "hate" each other anymore. In fact, they were quite quick to pick up on the way that Gladio would take the time between training sessions to head up to Ignis' office and make sure he ate lunch at a reasonable time, or that Ignis would leave a can of his precious Ebony down in the locker rooms on mornings or evenings when Gladio had to be up especially early or late. Gladio enjoyed the moments stolen between this thing or that where they could chat or give an update, but Gladio thought the things other people didn't see were even more precious, such as the first time Ignis had sent a very professional sounding, yet personal business text to him from his work phone.

People tended to think that Ignis was an old man in a young man's body, that he had no humor in him, never had fun, and did nothing but work. That was Ignis' work face, plainly put, for Gladio knew Ignis perhaps didn't have the same sort of fun as other people his age, Ignis did have fun, he did relax, and he liked to laugh and be around the people he trusted, who were few and far between, and Gladio found himself increasingly honored to find that he was now one of them.

They began to sort of fall into a rhythm. They both had jobs, and though they might steal moments in between appointments to talk, the day was for working, and the evening was often for making sure Noctis was thoroughly taken care of, though this too sometimes fell into more leisure time, especially when Prompto lingered around in the apartment. No matter what though, at nine o'clock (excluding Saturday game night,) both Ignis and Gladio excused themselves and they would meet up at Ignis' apartment.

Ignis always made sure he had some sort of food or drink offering, often tea, cookies, or small cakes, and they would talk. Really talk, not about the whether or their days, but important things, like Noct's future, or books they'd read, or what they wanted for themselves in the years to come. He learned that Ignis didn't like to cook, but that it had become his hobby as a favor for Noctis that he had yet to fulfill, and had since then just become an integral part of his life. "I don't hate it," Ignis admitted, "But it's not my favorite thing to do either." It was a fact that seemed to shift everything about Ignis around in his brain, and Gladio hoped that he could continue to learn things like that about him, as time went on.

At no later than ten-thirty, Ignis would drink his nightly screwdriver. He didn't scoff or balk from it anymore, but it still took him a good five minutes to finish drinking it and to hand what had become _his_ Thermos back to Gladio.

According to Ignis, the drink didn't always help him sleep, but it helped often enough that Ignis saw a point in continuing the ritual, as Gladio saw firsthand one day in late January. Ignis had made hummingbird cake, something that Gladio had never even heard of before, and when the time came for his screwdriver, Gladio took the plates out to the kitchen and placed them neatly in his dishwasher. When he returned only a couple minutes later, he found Ignis fast asleep in his chair, the screwdriver only half gone. The Thermos threatened to tip over onto the floor and Gladio was quick to grab it, but then he leaned back and really took the sight in.

Ignis didn't look peaceful asleep, Gladio didn't think, but he definitely looked younger, with his glasses already trying to fall off his face, hair no longer carefully swept to the side, even the lingering signs of acne that he'd probably had very badly when he was a little younger took out on his face while he sat there, eyes clothes, breathing even, the weight of the prince's world off his shoulders. The visage made a great sense of protectiveness swell in Gladio's chest, and though he knew that Ignis would probably scold him for it later, he knew he couldn't just leave him sitting there.

It was hard, lifting Ignis' prone form up into his arms without waking him, and Gladio found that Ignis was heavier, more dense, than he'd expected. He looked like a light man, but that was just the clothing masking the muscle he apparently sported underneath. It was impressive, but it made the task of hauling him off to what Gladio certainly hoped was his bedroom all that much harder, but he managed though. Carefully he laid him atop his blankets, and then set to the task of removing those perfectly shined shoes, which proved to be equally difficult. The easiest task was lifting his glasses from his face, and setting them gently on the bedside table for Ignis to find the next morning.

When Gladio stepped back to admire his work he found that there was an ache in his heart that he could not ignore, and he knew how to name it.

That ache was his now undeniable crush on Ignis Scientia.

* * *

 At first, the realization that Ignis' birthday was only a week away was cause for celebration inside his heart. He knew Ignis didn't have plans, and, though he couldn't have the day off, Noct had already proclaimed that the night was his to do with as he pleased, and Gladio fully intended to take him out for his first legal drink. That was when the panic set in. In a week, Ignis would be legal, and that meant that Gladio would not have to provide him alcohol anymore. What if that was the only reason Ignis was still talking to him? What if once he was good to do it by himself, Ignis retracted back to his old ways, and left Gladio heartbroken? Gladio didn't like to think that Ignis was like that, but the nagging doubt still tugged at him, and encompassed every encounter he had with him.

Oddly, it was Prompto who tried to assuage his fears. "Dude. Stop that."

"What?"

Prompto jerked his head in the direction of the kitchen, where Ignis was currently making supper. "Sighing about Iggy. I-D-K what's up with you. What? Did you have a fight with him?"

"...No?" Gladio frowned. What was Prompto implying? That he was a spurned lover? That was sort of what it was sounding like...though, perhaps that was also what he was _acting_ like. He'd never been very good at hiding his emotions.

"Then stop. Noct's starting to freak out that his retainers aren't talking again. He likes...you...know...this." The blond made a gesture with  one of his hands that sort of indicated the picture of them as a whole. "I know we aren't really close, and I know you and Iggy being close is kind of new, but come on. I know Iggy's cool, even if he acts...well...cool. Like Mr. Icy. I know he's not, and I know he likes you and Noct, so stop sighing. Whatever it is, it'll work out. Just keep thinking that. Gotta keep positive."

Positive was practically Prompto's middle name, and no one could match him at it, but the pep talk had the desired effect and Gladio smiled, the worry in his gut dying down a little. "Thanks."

"No prob." He paused, and then laughed in that nervous manner of his, "Bu-ut, if you really want to thank me you can do it by helping our party stay alive until Noct gets back."

Gladio laughed and picked up Noct's controller. He'd bowed out, knowing by the smell that dinner was close, but the two younger boys had still insisted on playing, and then, of course, Noct had slipped off the bathroom and left his friend all on his own. "Hey, Prompto?"

"Yeah?" His freckles scrunched up as he tried to divide his attention between Gladio and the game again.

"Do you think Ignis would let me call him Iggy?"

Blue eyes flicked toward him and then immediately back toward the screen. "I...guess? Can't know unless you ask?" Small shoulders quickly shrugged. "I mean, he lets me, but I think that might be pity." Prompto opened his mouth to say more, but Noct chose exactly that moment to return, and the subject was dropped. Gladio supposed Prompto had a point though, he'd never know unless he asked.

* * *

On the day of his birthday, it was unseasonably warm again, and the sky threatened more rain. Gladio had spent most of the day glaring at it, silently daring it to open up and ruin Ignis' birthday. By the time six o'clock rolled around it hadn't, and so Gladio met Ignis just outside the Citadel. "Hey, Iggy."

As a point in his favor, Ignis looked more amused than annoyed at the nickname, but an eyebrow was raised up all the same. "Taking a page from Prompto's book?"

"You disapprove?"

Ignis shook his head back and forth in a no motion, and Gladio's body flooded with relief. "Not at all. I actually rather like it." As though to prove it, a soft, pleased smile spread across his face, and Gladio felt his own lips twitch upward. Smiling was always a good look on Ignis, and he wished he would do it all the time.

"So," Ignis began as they started walking, Gladio naturally taking a slight lead, with Ignis falling only a step behind. "Where are we going? You haven't precisely been forthcoming with details."

Gladio smiled even wider, "Well, you turned eighteen today, right?"

"Yes."

"Which means you're officially legal to drink."

Beside him, he heard more than felt Ignis' gait falter for a second, but then pick up at a faster pace to catch up with him. "So it does." There was a note of bewilderment in his voice that made Gladio wonder if that fact hadn't quite sunk in yet. Not that he wasn't aware of it, oh no, Gladio knew Ignis would be _aware_ of it, but more that the reality of it wasn't really something he'd yet taken to heart. "Does that mean we're going out to drink?"

"Not to the point of drunk, no." Gladio didn't want to get Ignis drunk. He was curious as to what kind of drunk Ignis would be, but a hangover wasn't a good birthday gift, and Ignis did have work in the morning, so more like..."I was thinking your first legal drink should come from a professional mixologist."

Ignis chortled, a light sort of sound that made Gladio's heart stutter in his chest. "That sounds delightful."

Gladio didn't take him to the sort of bar that he knew the Glaives liked to frequent, the sort of place that seemed grungy, dirty, yet probably seemed comforting and homey to them. That sort of place was where you went for shots and beer, and that wasn't the experience that Gladio wanted to give Ignis. Instead they ended up at a place that was something between a club and a bar. There was no bouncer at the door, but there was music, and there was dancing and mingling. It was early yet, and so the place was still mostly empty. Gladio suspected it would be a couple hours before it really started to get going, and by then, they'd probably be gone.

Gladio got himself a citrus beer and Ignis was given something...fruity and blue served in a martini glass. He didn't even get around to asking if the stuff stuck to the rim of the glass was sugar or salt before Gladio was approached by two girls and he and his beer were whisked away. People in general were kind of Gladio's weakness, but girls, especially cute girls, were even moreso. He just loved talking to people, so many different people meant so many different areas of expertise, and so many things he could learn. He knew he had a smile that made most people relax, despite his size, and he used it to his advantage. When he went out, which wasn't as often as he'd perhaps like, he often spent hours just talking with people, especially the cute girls, even if he didn't expect or want anything to come of it. He liked people, and he liked talking, and he knew he was good at it. What was wrong with that?

What was wrong with it was that this time he wasn't alone, and the next time he looked back to Ignis, it had been almost an hour since they'd arrived. Ignis still stood by the bar, his stance guarded and awkward, the drink in his hand only half gone. Internally Gladio sighed and kicked himself. He'd made a mistake. He'd focused too much on the kind of drinks they could get here, and not enough on the kind of atmosphere. He'd forgotten an important thing. Ignis wasn't like him. He could charm a diplomat out of his shoes if he wanted, but in average socializing outside of work with peers? Ignis was lost. It would have been better in that grungy bar with the beer and whiskey. At least there they would have had a table, and Ignis wouldn't feel like a fish out of water.

He excused himself from the girls, who said they were still waiting on friends for a bachelorette party, and made his way back over to Ignis, who offered him a smile when he arrived. "Did you need another beer?" Mentally Gladio kicked himself again. Shit, how nice he was being, considering how he'd just abandoned him for an hour.

"Nah, not another beer." He reached out and put two fingers on the stem of the martini glass, just above Ignis' own. "What do you say we get out of here? Go get something to eat, and head back to your place?"

Barely a beat of music blared overhead before Ignis was saying, "Yes, please."

They ended up eating fish and chips under a streetlight, and the difference in Ignis was staggering. He laughed as they talked, his gloves shoved neatly in one pocket as he ate the battered fish, the guarded stance he'd adopted in the bar completely gone from his features. Gladio mentally scolded himself yet again. He should have known better. Ignis wasn't a clubing kind of person. Personal and quiet was much more his style. This should have been his plan from the start. "Iggy, I'm sorry."

He'd been rude, for Ignis had been talking about how Noct said that Prompto had apparently planned to bake Ignis a cake to be hand delivered on Saturday for game night, and how Ignis was pretty sure that was going to be a disaster.  He hadn't been able to hold the apology in any longer, and the moment it was out, Ignis' tone and words switched tracks. "Gladio, I'm--" He stopped talking unexpectedly, his head turning upward, hand stretching out in front of him.

It took a second, but Gladio realized what precisely had caused Ignis to stop short like that. In fact, it literally hit him on the head. It was one, big, fat raindrop. "Move!" The word came out harsher than intended, but they both managed to get underneath the awning of a nearby Altissian restaurant just an instant before the rain hit en force.

"Goodness!" Ignis exclaimed as the wind picked up as the rain came down, causing the drops to threaten them even as they stood under the safety of the awning. "When it rains, it pours, I suppose."

Gladio snorted. Yeah. In _winter_. When it should be _snow_. Nice romantic snow to walk through as it gently fell down. No. Instead they got rain. Twice now. Ignis' apartment building was still several blocks away, and, once again, neither of them had an umbrella. Ignis shouldn't have to be cold and soaked on his birthday, especially when it had started out as shitty as it had. Gladio went to shrug off his jacket once again, this time to offer it solely to Ignis, but he was stopped by a hand on his arm. "Don't."

"You got a better plan?"

"I think I do." His words sounded eager, and sure enough when Gladio looked down at Ignis' face he found delight dancing in his eyes and on his lips. It was almost...dare he say it? Mischievous? "Let's run it." Yeah, Ignis - _Ignis_ sounded mischievous.

"You crazy, Iggy?"

"Oh, come now, Gladio. It's not that far, and I don't have groceries to protect. We aren't sugar, it's not as though we'll melt. Well," Ignis chuckled deep in his throat, and the sound sent heat all the way to the pit of Gladio's stomach. "I won't melt anyway."

"That a challenge?" Gladio growled back, and just barely, Gladio thought he could see a blush on Ignis' face, but maybe that was just the light from the restaurant window.

"Perhaps."

"You're on."

"A race then?"

"You bet." Gladio smirked. Ignis had to know he was a competitive person, and not even the fact that it was his birthday would let him hold back if he was being offered a race.

They agreed that the handles to the front doors would be goal before Ignis counted to three, and then they were off. It was an endurance race of sorts, but neither one of them was pacing themselves. Rather than running, Gladio would think it more accurate to say that they flung themselves through the rain. Ignis shrieked when the rain hit them like a wall soaking them instantly, but it wasn't in pain, in fact, Gladio thought there was laughter there. In response, he threw his own head back and laughed, not even caring that several drops hit the back of his throat.

The sound of rain drowned out most of the normal city noise around them. Just ahead of him, he could hear Ignis' footfalls, the sound of the occasional car driving past them, and his own breathing, but everything else, including his own feet against the concrete, seemed to be gone as the rain poured out from the sky like clouds had zippers and someone had tugged them open.

At one point, just after his foot hit one of the already forming puddles and it flooded his already wet shoe, Gladio took notice that for someone who had not yet formally started Crownsguard training, Ignis had excellent running form. They certainly weren't holding themselves back, no, even with the excitement pounding in his chest, Gladio was sure that Ignis was just as eager as he was to be out of this rain, and to both dry off and warm up, but Ignis was ahead of him, steadily even, if not far, but Gladio wasn't going to let him win.

He overtook him on that last block, when he could hear his heart pounding in his chest, blood rushing in his ears, and his legs were just screaming at him to stop for a bit. Ignis' apartment building was in sight now, and he thought that would be the end of it, but it wasn't. Gladio swore that in those last twenty feet Ignis simply zipped past him, under the awning of the building, and touching the handles, making him the winner. Holy shit.

His face must have reflected the thought, because, as he finished those last few feet and came to a halt next to Ignis, the other man began to laugh. It wasn't a chuckle or a chortle, it wasn't soft or polite, in fact, it was loud and raucous, starting deep in his belly and ending when it passed his lips with little puffs of steam to contrast the cold. Even under normal circumstances Gladio would have found it attractive, but with pure adrenaline still pumping through his veins it was irresistible. Before he'd even begun to think it through, his hands had cupped Ignis' face and Gladio had leaned down so that their lips could meet in a kiss.

Of course, kissing him made the laughing stop, and reason came rushing back. As though Ignis were his name, Gladio pulled back, "Iggy, I'm so sorry--" He didn't get any further than that for Ignis' hands gripped the lapels of his jacket, and he was being pulled back down as Ignis pushed himself up on his toes to kiss him.

Their teeth clacked. The collision kind of hurt, but the way that Ignis pulled back just enough to give a soft "Ha" that he could feel against his lips was enough to make up for it. The next time their lips touched it was better, soft and sweet, yet intoxicating. He could feel Ignis' nose against his cheek and the curve of the other man's lips as they fit together. They were soaking wet, and they were cold, but it only made the heat that rose up in his chest as they tried to mold their bodies together feel more intense in contrast. His hands found their way back to Ignis' face, and then up into his hair, pushing the dripping locks back from his face. The fine strands tried to stick to his fingers, but the drag made Ignis make a sound Gladio could not identify against his lips, and when Gladio shivered, it wasn't from the cold.

All too soon, Ignis was pulling back, and Gladio settled his arms around his waist, hoping that the motion would convince him to stay there. It did, at least enough that Ignis had to brace his hands against Gladio's elbows to look up at him. When Gladio looked down, Ignis, hair all pushed back in a very pleasing way, was smiling up at him. "And how did you know?"

"Know what?"

"That a kiss from you was exactly what I'd been wanting for my birthday?"

Gladio laughed, and leaned down just enough to kiss his wet forehead. "Didn't. It was just what I wanted."

"Hm," Ignis hummed, leaning forward and pressing his lips gently to Gladio's throat. Both the sound and motion seemed tired, but also good, lazy, in a way that Gladio knew Ignis didn't normally allow himself to be. "How fortunate for me. Does that mean I can have another one?"

Gladio laughed again, and resisted the urge to tease the man in his arms. How could he tease him when another kiss was exactly what he wanted too? There were more pressing things at hand though, and the wet coldness was beginning to be too much to ignore. "Sure thing, after we get warm and dry upstairs." Yes, kissing him once he was dry again, holding his now legal nightly screwdriver sounded just ideal. He knew they would have to have a more serious talk soon, but now, just for now, Gladio wanted to revel in this feeling of warmth and newness, and the idea that his crush perhaps wasn't unrequited.

"That long?" That almost sounded like a whine, and Gladio couldn't bite back a tease anymore.

"Good thing you're a patient man."

There was a puff of warm air against his shoulder as Ignis sighed dramatically, and Gladio let him slide out of his arms to open the front door of the apartment building, and as he followed him inside, Gladio found that he was glad Ignis had insomnia. It was an odd thought, to wish Ignis nights of sleeplessness, but it had been what had brought them together. It was even odder to think that it had only been a couple of months since he'd discovered him up in his office so late at night. "Hey, Iggy?"

"Yes?"

"Happy birthday."

**Author's Note:**

> We all know that the _real_ cure for Ignis' insomnia is sleeping in Gladio's arms, right? *shot* I know that's not how this works, but let me pretend.
> 
> Happy Birthday, BossGoose! <33333333
> 
> Hey, you should all come yell at me on [my Tumblr](https://charmkeeperix.tumblr.com/).
> 
> Lastly, thank you so much for reading!


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